Customer Reviews

Perrault's Fairy Tales (Dover Children's Classics)

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This book was a great find and I am so glad I purchased it. The condition is excellent and the quality of the book is fantastic. I recommend this title to anyone who has young children who enjoy fairy tales.

I have a large collection of children's books, including a number of collectible volumes of classic stories illustrated by the greatest artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. To find a little collection like this that includes illustrations by Gustave Doré is truly a treasure. It's also fascinating to see familiar stories close to their original form, without the prudish edits they've collected over the years. Whether you're a fan of the artist and the writer or want a great storybook for your children, enjoy!

Actor Robin Field reads eight classic fairy tales by Charles Perrault. 'More than a hundred years before the Grimm Brothers collected fairy 'tales from the oral traditions of Germany, Perrault did the same thing 'in France. These were the first published versions of such classics as '"The Sleeping Beauty," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Puss in Boots" and '"Cinderella." Perrault became a member of the Academie francais in '1671 and wrote a variety of works in prose and verse throughout his 'life. His collection of French fairy tales, entitled Histories, or 'Tale of Past Times, with Morals (later retitled Tales of My Mother 'Goose) was first published in 1697. Some confusion arose, because the 'work was at first attributed to Perrault's teenage son, Pierre. But 'further research suggests that the father actually did the writing. 'The book was first translated into English in 1729 by Robert Samber. 'The stories in this recording were translated in 1921 by A. E. Johnson, 'and the morals in verse in 1912 by S. R. Littlewood. NOTE: Due to the 'advanced vocabulary and dramatic content of these stories, they are not 'recommended for the very young. The reading is over two hours long on 'two Audio CDs.

The eight tales are:'

The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood'
Little Red Riding Hood'
Blue Beard'
The Master Cat, or Puss in Boots'
The Fairies, or Toads and Diamonds'
Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper'
Rickey of the Tuft'
Little Tom Thumb

Charles Perrault was a French civil servant in the late 1600s. He had a little son, and decided to write down to old French folk tales that he heard the servants telling and retelling. These include Cinderella, Blue Beard and even Sleeping Beauty.